Okay, everyone here knows about bamboo flooring, out-gassing from chemically-treated fabrics and carpet, and denim as wall insulation, or if not, there are dozens of websites dedicated to fixing that, so that’s not what this blog is about, deep intake of breath.
This is about thinking green, and making those small changes that can matter to your (and your clients’) health, your (and your clients’) pocketbook, your (and your clients’) children, and your (and your clients’….are you getting the pattern here?) planet. What’s good for you, is probably good for your kids, and is probably very good for your clients. Well, maybe not tequila, which is VERY good for you.
I’m not suggesting that you make your own paint, knit your own cleaning cloths from unraveled socks, or cut the broccoli rubber bands in thirds lengthwise to make one become three. Nor do I suggest you grow your own trees, so you can cut them down, so you can build your own furniture. If you want to know how to do those things, subscribe to The Mother Earth News. I am, however suggesting that, when toddling about your day, you can think a little differently and make different and reasonable choices. You know…..paper or plastic?
So here we go:
BIG THING: RENEWABLE MATERIALS
Educate yourself on what is TRULY renewable. You can find good alternatives at mainstream stores that make a difference. Wool carpeting (healthy, lasts forever, expensive, but Terry says the shearing is cruelly done...I don't know) vs. synthetic carpeting (available EVERYWHERE, cheap, smelly, outgasses), vs. wood flooring (easy to clean, not fun to lie on, sells houses, renewable). Eco-friendly paints vs Not So Eco-friendly. Benjamin Moore's Aura Line and Sherwin Williams' Harmony Line have both received good reviews. Standard paint lines have their good and bad points, but please tell me everyone has jettisoned oil-based paint by now? Thanks to Cindy Lin for her feedback. 
As Stagers and Realtors we are in the position to CONTINUOUSLY advise clients. Choosing the green alternatives doesn’t make sense in every situation, but it does in some. Use your knowledge to help your clients and your culture.
MEDIUM SIZED THING: ACCESSORIES
If you’re BUYING NEW, many retailers offer wonderful lines of “organic décor”: jute, grass cloth, printed cotton, hemp, fabrics from recycled plastics. It’s all out there, for heaven’s sake, even at Target. Naturally (hee hee), there is an entire world of eco-friendly stores. The cost of shipping, and the break-neck turn-around of staging, however, makes this fairly impractical most of the time. 
Better (for pocketbook and planet): swing by those big THRIFT STORES as you pass by. This, of course, is opportunity shopping, and should be done regularly, and with a plan. Develop your seasonal palettes and discipline your purchases, or you’ll end up with rooms full beautiful, fun stuff you can’t make work together.
While thrift stores are stocked predominantly with clothing, which has limited application in staging, here are some ideas.
Check out the crazy big dress section for interesting fabric. What might be an ugly dress from yesterday can today be a whiz bang accent pillow. Here in DC, I can buy a $4 garment that can yield as much as 3 yards of fabric. That's up to 6 pillow fronts, or 3 pillow covers. Once you brave The Evil Sewing Machine a few times, you’ll be able to whip up fun table napkins, pillow covers, and all manner of KEWL stuff in a jiffy. Really.
Tablecloths can be cut and folded to make runners, or napkins, or window swags. A good eye, a warm iron and little pack of fuseable webbing, and you’re done!
I usually only find onsies on accent towels, but armed with your seasonal palette you can be clever in blending your pieces. Eclectic is still in. Clients will believe you graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design.
Baby clothes are charming, colorful, and cheap. I’ve used tiny Halloween costumes as décor [a green butterfly costume with pink netted wings on a pink hanger on a little girl’s wall; a flying Superman costume hanging (cup hooks, fishing wire, and safety pins) over a little boy’s bed]. Hang a few little frocks in an empty closet, or fold a pile of brightly colored shirts on a shelf. Clean baby clothes in a pretty basket make a laundry room adorable
Purchase big, soft toys to complement your bedding palettes. They’re really inexpensive, and look great tossed on beds, closet shelves, or the floor. Avoid hard toys that have sharp edges, can pinch fingers, be dropped and broken, and are not washable.
Pick up curtain pairs (remember your palette and plan), bunch them at the top with a rubber band - from broccoli if you want - and hang them at the corners of windows with 3-M hooks. Five minutes…I’m not kidding. I’ve bought four panels; tucked one around a crib mattress as a sheet, used two as swags on the bedroom windows, and the fourth on a nearby bathroom window. I always have a bag of about 8 white sheers in my car, marked FOR LINEN EMERGENCIES. They cost me no more than $4/pair.
TINY THING: CLEANING SUPPLIES
Vinegar, Baking Soda, Microfiber cloths, Dawn Dishwashing liquid, Goo Gone….ain’t nothin’ I can’t rise victoriously above in my own home, or on any staging job, with these partners. They’re cheap (yes, Brian, CHEAP), safe to use on you, your babies, your pets, and your clients’ stuff. No window cleaner or bleach for me any more. A bottle of 50% white vinegar and 50% water, in a used spray bottle, works magic on almost everything. Baking soda is the best scouring powder EVER. Dawn cuts the grease when you need that little bit of oomph, and the citrus oil in Goo Gone solves a multitude of sins, including those (adjective of your own choice) tags that Ross and Marshalls use. Don't forget about Terry Haugen's olive oil magic.
Okay, you don’t want to mix your own voo doo cleaning supplies? At least buy the green stuff. Seventh Generation can be picked up ANYWHERE, and the price point is competitive. Yvonne Root swears by Holy Cow for stainless steel appliances, kitchens, bathrooms, granite, terrazzo tile, soap scum, floors and carpets.
CONFESSIONS: in my staging kit I have my original bottle of Krud Kutter, and aerosol spray adhesive. Oh, and even though I did buy it used, and it is a manual transmission, I am driving my first SUV. Sorry; it won’t happen again.
Cheers, from DC! Jaynee
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